An Ordinary Day at Pine Hollow
by somedayangeline
Summary: The Saddle Club is missing again, and it looks like they might have been kidnapped! Or have they?


It was shaping up to be just another ordinary day at Pine Hollow. Trouble the donkey had gotten loose again and had bolted away through the clothesline carrying away sheets that Mrs. Reg had hung out to dry. Then he'd headed for the ring and caused Garnet to bolt, which in turn caused her to dump Veronica, who swore that she was going to talk to her father that night about selling her, which distressed the Saddle Club, even though they hated Veronica's guts. Melanie and Jess had set up a lemonade stand to raise money to pay their boarder's fees (which they were behind again), which bizarrely Trouble had avoided wrecking, as if he knew what it was for. The Saddle Club was missing, but everyone assumed that they were off on (yet) another trail ride and didn't worry. A late afternoon calm had settled over the stable, which was rudely shattered when an official looking police car pulled into the driveway, and two stone-faced men in uniform got out and marched up the path.

"Sir, would you like to buy a lemonade?" Jess asked, never one to let a good business opportunity go to waste.

They ignored that. "Young lady, can you tell us where Max Regnery is?"

"He...He's in his office," Jess stammered, as she and Melanie watched open-mouthed as the men stalked away.

Max and his mother had been chatting, while Simon tinkered with their computer - which had mysteriously crashed earlier, but jumped to attention when they were interrupted.

"Do you know the whereabouts of Stephanie Lake, Carole Hanson and/or Lisa Atwood," the first asked, after showing his badge of identification.

Max shrugged. "I think they might have gone out on a trail ride earlier. They should be back eventually."

"But they're together?"

"Where else?" Mrs. Reg said. "Officers, is there something we can help you with?"

"I'm afraid I've gotten a call from Stephanie's parents. They're worried that she's disappeared, and her friends' parents have no idea where they are either."

"Stevie has actual parents?" Simon blurted. "I know she mentions them now and then, but I've never actually met them. Ditto for Lisa, though Carole has an excuse - her dad's off on a top secret military mission."

Mrs. Reg shot him a look that clearly communicated that he should really be quiet and let the adults do the talking, so he obeyed. "I'll just go and check to see if their horses have returned, Officer. If not, I expect they're out on an adventure."

"Like falling down a cliff?" Veronica DiAngelo, dressed in cream breeches, gleaming black boots and a puffy pink vest asked, as she stepped into the office. "Or perhaps they've entered an abandoned mine shaft and gotten trapped. Or - I know - they've ignored a No Trespassing sign and are wandering around on someone else's property."

Both men looked horrified. "What in the world do you mean?"

Veronica shrugged. "Ask Max," she said airily. "Here that's just another day at Pine Hollow."

"I wouldn't talk, Veronica, you're the one that got trapped in the quicksand," Simon told her.

"That was the stupid GPS's fault, not mine," she retorted.

"Kids, that's enough," Mrs. Reg. cut in. "No, the horses have come back, though without their riders. They must be trouble again."

"Again? You surely don't mean that those are things that have happened to your students before, do you?" the second asked in horror.

"Well," Max said, "it's not like our riders go looking for trouble on purpose, but...

Just then Melanie and Jess rushed in. "Guess what? Trouble can jump! He just went over the oxer in the ring, and that's got to be at least four feet. We should enter him in a show! He'll probably win the blue ribbon."

"Girls, not now."

"But..."

"Out!" Max snapped.

"Sir, are you running a day care or a stable?" Officer One demanded.

"Or a zoo," Veronica added. "Max, I wanted to inform you that there's manure in Garnet's stall, and I wanted to lodge a formal complaint. Where's Jack?"

"He had a dentist appointment, Veronica. Now could you tell us when the last time you saw the Saddle Club was?"

"After our lesson. I don't know where they are, and I don't care. The less I see of the Saddlebags, the better." And with that, she stalked back out. "I'm off to the mall."

Officer One shook his head. "As we were discussing - accidents like this have happened before?"

"Well, yes, but they build character. There's nothing like working together in an unexpected crisis to strengthen the bonds of friendship and have more respect for each other," Mrs. Reg explained.

"Life should be fun. For everyone," Max acknowledged, "but when it's not, you grow both as a human being and as an equestrian."

Officer Two coughed. "I hate to interrupt this fascinating discussion, but we'd better go look for the girls."

So they did.

((

It was dark in the back of the horse trailer and musty smelling causing Stevie to sneeze three times in a row. "Bless you," Lisa said automatically.

"Thanks," Stevie said. "What a mess. We should never have gone on that trail."

"We should never have fallen asleep in what we assumed was an abandoned horse trailer," Carole added. "Do you think it would help if we yelled or banged on the doors some more?"

"No, I don't think anyone can hear us." Stevie sighed. "My phone is dead. What about you guys?"

Lisa checked hers. "I can't get a signal either."

"I left mine in my jacket back at the barn," Carole apologized. "Sorry, guys."

"If the driver's going on a long trip, it'll be ages before anyone finds us," Stevie realized with a sinking feeling that they were definitely in deep trouble.

"No kidding, Stevie," Lisa snapped. "Does anyone else have any more brilliant ideas?"

"If I remember correctly, it was your idea to take that trail in the first place," Stevie retorted.

"Well, if we hadn't run after Carole who trotted away without telling us," Lisa said.

"I was just upset about Veronica threatening to sell Garnet," Carole explained. "You don't think she'll really do it, do you?"

Stevie gave a dramatic sigh. "With Veronica, who can tell? But don't worry, Carole. If she tries, we'll think up a plan to foil her. Nothing to it."

"None of this is really helping, though," Lisa said. She glared at both of the girls with her arms folded.

"Guys, cut it out," Carole whined. "We're the Saddle Club; we're supposed to stick together."

"Carole's right," Lisa agreed. "We need to calm down and think of a plan."

But try as they might, no one could.

"I'm hungry," Stevie complained. "I bet it's around dinner time, right now. I hope our parents have contacted Max and Mrs. Reg, and they're looking for us."

"We could always...sing," Carole suggested. "To pass the time."

At first, dead silence. Then Carole began, "Hello world/This is me/"

Lisa joined in, "Life should beeee/Fun for everyone."

And so did Stevie. "Life is easy if you wear a smile/ Don't give up..."

Then the trailer screeched to a dead halt, throwing the girls rudely forward. Luckily, they were all seated. A moment later, a man opened the door. "What the heck was that?"

"Who the heck are you?" Stevie snapped back.

"I'm the owner of this rig, and would like an explanation, ladies. Are you running away from home or something?"

"No," Lisa said. "We just dozed off, and then woke up to find ourselves moving. We're sorry for...uh, the inconvenience. We were out on a trail ride...but I guess our horses must have taken off for home."

The man heaved a sigh. "Well, come on, and get in the front, and I'll drive you all back to wherever it is you came from."

"Pine Hollow," Carole told him. "We're really awfully sorry."

"That's all right. These things happen. Now come on."

))

Back at Pine Hollow in the outdoor arena, Max was staring in bafflement as Trouble once again slammed on the brakes right before the oxer.

"He was doing it fine before," Jess said. "I don't know what's gotten into him." She pouted. "Trouble, what's wrong with you?"

But the donkey just stood as if he'd no idea either.

"Hey, guys, look!" Melanie said. "I think that's the Saddle Club!"

Sure enough, an unfamiliar van had halted in the driveway. The passenger-side door opened revealing three very sheepish looking girls.

"Carole, Stevie, Lisa, in my office, right now," Max said. After thanking the driver again, the trio trudged into the barn to await him.

Once he'd returned, he just stood there sighing. Finally, he said, "Would one of you like to tell me what the heck is going on here?"

They all started to babble at once, while Max shook his head. "Girls, you really cannot just ride off into the blue like that. You need to always tell someone where you're going before you go for a trail ride."

"Well, we told Veronica," Stevie said. "Didn't she tell you?"

From the look on Max's face, she guessed Veronica hadn't. "Sorry, Max," she apologized. "We'll know better than to trust her next time."

"Stevie, this is your fault, too," Max said. "Oh well. No harm done this time, I guess. Put your bikes in the back of my truck, and I'll drive you all home. As soon as you call and tell your parents where you are."

The girls grinned in relief. "Thanks, Max!" they chorused.

Then they hugged. Then Mrs. Reg stepped into the room.

"Oh, and before you go, I have a pile of tail bandages that need rolling. All right?"

Hungry as they were, the Saddle Club knew that horses always came first. "All right," they agreed.

The end


End file.
